IRVINE, California, May 23. THE first evening of long course meter swimming at the Janet Evans Invitational featured a star-studded cast of Olympians found throughout the night's schedule.
Trojan's Katinka Hosszu opened the first night with a quick 2:11.47 for the women's 200 IM win. Stanford's Elaine Breeden finished second in 2:14.91, while Parkway's Elizabeth Smith took third in 2:15.96. Trojan swept the 200 IMs when Hidemasa Sano posted a 2:00.59 in the men's race. Stanford's Joshua Charnin-Aker placed second in 2:05.36 with De Anza Cupertino's Erich Peske touching third in 2:07.74.
Likely the biggest upset of the night, Santa Barbara's Katy Freeman knocked off Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni, 1:08.40 to 1:08.83, in the women's 100 breast. These types of mid-season victories can provide a confidence boost heading into the end of the season. Santa Barbara's Sara Nicponski tied Trojan's Keri Hehn for third, 1:08.85.
Mission Viejo's John Criste cruised in the men's 100 breast with a 1:02.51 for the win. California's Damir Dugonjic placed second in 1:03.31 with teammate Sean Mahoney finishing third in 1:03.80.
California teammates Hannah Wilson and Madison Kennedy went 1-2 in the women's 50 free with Wilson winning, 25.98 to 26.12. Terapin Kasey Carlson, a breaststroke specialist, showed some sprint speed with a third-place 26.14.
In a head-to-head battle between a pair of Olympians, the veteran Jason Lezak challenged the American record in the men's 50 free with a triumph over Nathan Adrian. Lezak, swimming for Rose Bowl Aquatics, won in 21.90. The American record is held by Garrett Weber-Gale with a 21.47 from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Adrian wound up a distant second in 22.82 swimming for Cal. Shayne Fleming of De Anza Cupertino took third in 22.97.
Mission Viejo's Chloe Sutton dominated the women's 400 free with a time of 4:09.53. Hosszu earned her second medal of the night with a second-place 4:12.13, while The Armada's Samantha Shellem took third in 4:14.69.
Relays closed the night with California's Wilson, Erica Dagg, Lauren Boyle and Amanda Sims winning the women's 400 free relay in 3:51.06. Rose Bowl Aquatics' team of Chris Myers, Alex Campbell, Shane Tusup and Lezak took the men's 400 free relay crown in 3:29.08. Lezak provided a sterling 48.59 anchor leg.
In preliminary action, South Korean Olympian Tae Hwan Park topped men's 1500 free qualifying with a 15:31.69. He did so while representing Trojan Aquatics as part of his time training in California. Fellow Olympian Trojan teammate Ous Mellouli qualified third in 15:34.10, while Stanford's Trevor Scheid split the difference with a second-place 15:33.88.
OCRegister.com Video of Jason Lezak Swim
OCRegister.com Interview With Chloe Sutton